UF has to beat FSU for any shot at title

Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 19, 2012 at 11:35 p.m.

The Back Nine comes at you after a solid weekend of hoops and football. If there are any typos, it’s because I’m typing after getting my pupils dilated. That’s my excuse this week anyway.

10. So we finally had the chaos delivered into our college football laps on Saturday night, a night so crazy it sent Alabama fans pouring into the streets of Tuscaloosa in what has to be the first “We Beat Western Carolina” celebration. The Bama fans are right there with a shot at a third national title in four years and all the Crimson Tide have to do is beat the train wreck that is Auburn, beat Georgia in the SEC title game and they’re in. Florida fans, meanwhile, have been presented with the unbelievable possibility of being there as well. They obviously would love it if Lane Kiffin won this weekend (another first), but the chances of that happening with Matt Barkley sidelined are not good. The better chance is that Georgia Tech springs an upset on Georgia, which then beats Alabama. But it’s all contingent on Florida winning in Tallahassee and that may be the least likely of all these scenarios. Florida has scored five offensive touchdowns in its last four games and FSU’s defense is better than Jacksonville State’s. But, again, Gator fans, I ask you. If I had told you before the season you’d head to Tallahassee with a shot at playing for it all, I think you would have taken it.

11. Speaking of Kiffin, there were a lot of poor coaching seasons in college football. Derek Dooley was fired for his and Gene Chizik may get fired for his. Frank Beamer lost five of six games thanks in part to the Big Tease that is Logan Thomas. But for Southern Cal to lose four games and probably five after this Saturday is certainly a smudge mark on Kiffin’s resume. A lot of people thought the Trojans might win it all this year, but they started off in the hole in so many games. That’s coaching. Or a lack of it.

12. It’s early, but it hasn’t been a good week for the ACC. Maryland bolts for the Big Ten-ish and Miami decides not to go to a bowl. That means the ACC needs Virginia Tech to beat Virginia and Wake Forest to beat Vanderbilt to fill seven of its eight bowl commitments. It was the right move for Miami, however, If you don’t think so, go ask Ohio State which foolishly played in the Gator Bowl last year because AD Gene Smith had convinced himself there would be no bowl ban. Now, the Buckeyes are unbeaten with nowhere to go.

13. One of the most interesting things about this weekend will be the battle of wits between Urban Meyer and Greg Mattison, now the defensive coordinator at Michigan. Mattison was one of the first people Meyer hired when he came to Florida. Not only is Mattison an excellent coach but one of the best guys you’ll ever meet.

14. I like what I’ve seen from the Gator basketball team and especially Kenny Boynton. Seeing him take over the game late Sunday was fun to watch. I started thinking about this Sunday night — remember when he was coming in as a freshman and Billy Donovan cautioned everybody not to look at him as some kind of savior? The Gators had been to back-to-back NITs before Boynton arrived. They’ve been to three straight NCAAs with him and two straight Elite Eights. And he has created a new category in college basketball with the four-point play (he has 13 and should have had another Sunday).

15. My Sundays are rarely spent watching a lot of the NFL (especially with my fantasy team waving the white flag) but I watched a lot of the Jacksonville-Houston game and have to say that was great theater. One team with nothing to play for and it’s starting quarterback and running back out against one of the elite teams in the league and it goes to overtime and plays are being made all over the field. You feel bad for coach Mike Mularkey, who just can’t seem to catch a break. But I appreciated the entertainment.

16. I hope it’s never taken for granted what a job Mary Wise does with Florida’s volleyball team. In fact, she’s better than ever considering how the rest of the league has stepped up in the last five or six years. To win 20 SEC titles, are you serious? That’s a lot of rings. And Wise has also done a magnificent job of cultivating the volleyball culture in our community. Believe me, I see it all the time. Congrats also to my Kelsey, whose team won a championship at the Girls Place on Saturday morning. There is no better way to start a weekend than to see that kind of pure joy on the faces of a bunch of young ladies.

17. The Tweet of the Week belongs to CBSsportsline.com’s national college football writer Dennis Dodd — “What we're seeing is a subset of BCS leagues being developed. First hit me when Orange Bowl deal was announced. B10 and SEC on different plane.” The Revolution is not over yet. And to be honest, I’m not sure where it will end up.

18. Trying to get some weight off before the hip surgery so there have been some early mornings at the gym. I’m amazed how many people are working out at 5:30 a.m. Anyway, try these downloads — “Waving At Airplanes” by Guided By Voice, “Let The Day Begin” by The Call and for the old school in you “Life’s A Long Song” by Jethro Tull. Yep, learned it over the weekend.

<p><i>The Back Nine comes at you after a solid weekend of hoops and football. If there are any typos, it's because I'm typing after getting my pupils dilated. That's my excuse this week anyway.</i></p><p><b>10.</b> So we finally had the chaos delivered into our college football laps on Saturday night, a night so crazy it sent Alabama fans pouring into the streets of Tuscaloosa in what has to be the first “We Beat Western Carolina” celebration. The Bama fans are right there with a shot at a third national title in four years and all the Crimson Tide have to do is beat the train wreck that is Auburn, beat Georgia in the SEC title game and they're in. Florida fans, meanwhile, have been presented with the unbelievable possibility of being there as well. They obviously would love it if Lane Kiffin won this weekend (another first), but the chances of that happening with Matt Barkley sidelined are not good. The better chance is that Georgia Tech springs an upset on Georgia, which then beats Alabama. But it's all contingent on Florida winning in Tallahassee and that may be the least likely of all these scenarios. Florida has scored five offensive touchdowns in its last four games and FSU's defense is better than Jacksonville State's. But, again, Gator fans, I ask you. If I had told you before the season you'd head to Tallahassee with a shot at playing for it all, I think you would have taken it.</p><p><b>11.</b> Speaking of Kiffin, there were a lot of poor coaching seasons in college football. Derek Dooley was fired for his and Gene Chizik may get fired for his. Frank Beamer lost five of six games thanks in part to the Big Tease that is Logan Thomas. But for Southern Cal to lose four games and probably five after this Saturday is certainly a smudge mark on Kiffin's resume. A lot of people thought the Trojans might win it all this year, but they started off in the hole in so many games. That's coaching. Or a lack of it.</p><p><b>12.</b> It's early, but it hasn't been a good week for the ACC. Maryland bolts for the Big Ten-ish and Miami decides not to go to a bowl. That means the ACC needs Virginia Tech to beat Virginia and Wake Forest to beat Vanderbilt to fill seven of its eight bowl commitments. It was the right move for Miami, however, If you don't think so, go ask Ohio State which foolishly played in the Gator Bowl last year because AD Gene Smith had convinced himself there would be no bowl ban. Now, the Buckeyes are unbeaten with nowhere to go.</p><p><b>13.</b> One of the most interesting things about this weekend will be the battle of wits between Urban Meyer and Greg Mattison, now the defensive coordinator at Michigan. Mattison was one of the first people Meyer hired when he came to Florida. Not only is Mattison an excellent coach but one of the best guys you'll ever meet.</p><p><b>14.</b> I like what I've seen from the Gator basketball team and especially Kenny Boynton. Seeing him take over the game late Sunday was fun to watch. I started thinking about this Sunday night — remember when he was coming in as a freshman and Billy Donovan cautioned everybody not to look at him as some kind of savior? The Gators had been to back-to-back NITs before Boynton arrived. They've been to three straight NCAAs with him and two straight Elite Eights. And he has created a new category in college basketball with the four-point play (he has 13 and should have had another Sunday). </p><p><b>15.</b> My Sundays are rarely spent watching a lot of the NFL (especially with my fantasy team waving the white flag) but I watched a lot of the Jacksonville-Houston game and have to say that was great theater. One team with nothing to play for and it's starting quarterback and running back out against one of the elite teams in the league and it goes to overtime and plays are being made all over the field. You feel bad for coach Mike Mularkey, who just can't seem to catch a break. But I appreciated the entertainment.</p><p><b>16.</b> I hope it's never taken for granted what a job Mary Wise does with Florida's volleyball team. In fact, she's better than ever considering how the rest of the league has stepped up in the last five or six years. To win 20 SEC titles, are you serious? That's a lot of rings. And Wise has also done a magnificent job of cultivating the volleyball culture in our community. Believe me, I see it all the time. Congrats also to my Kelsey, whose team won a championship at the Girls Place on Saturday morning. There is no better way to start a weekend than to see that kind of pure joy on the faces of a bunch of young ladies.</p><p><b>17.</b> The Tweet of the Week belongs to CBSsportsline.com's national college football writer Dennis Dodd — “What we're seeing is a subset of BCS leagues being developed. First hit me when Orange Bowl deal was announced. B10 and SEC on different plane.” The Revolution is not over yet. And to be honest, I'm not sure where it will end up.</p><p><b>18.</b> Trying to get some weight off before the hip surgery so there have been some early mornings at the gym. I'm amazed how many people are working out at 5:30 a.m. Anyway, try these downloads — “Waving At Airplanes” by Guided By Voice, “Let The Day Begin” by The Call and for the old school in you “Life's A Long Song” by Jethro Tull. Yep, learned it over the weekend.</p>